In general, trichlorcarbanilide, or triclocarban (TCC, chemically known as 3,4,4′- trichlorocarbanilide) is a widely used antibacterial compound in the art of personal cleansing compositions, and primarily used in solid bar soap compositions. TCC exhibits extremely low water solubility and is therefore not considered conducive for a liquid compositional based product. As TCC is used in the solid bar composition form, TCC is generally considered to be effective against Gram-positive bacteria, yet not as effective against Gram-negative bacteria; i.e., TCC is not considered to be a broad-spectrum biocide.
Currently, a large percentage of the consuming public has shown an attraction to liquid body cleansing products, as evidenced by the broad acceptance and popularity of liquid body wash products and liquid hand soaps in the marketplace. These liquid compositions are traditionally aqueous in character. But due to its virtual insolubility in water, TCC has not been used in aqueous cleansing compositions and thus, formulators have been forced to rely on other antibacterial agents to provide antibacterial benefits to consumers.
Therefore, there exists a need to provide a stable, aqueous-based, liquid cleansing composition, incorporating TCC as the antibacterial agent so a user may enjoy the benefits of using a liquid soap in conjunction with the effective antibacterial agent, TCC.